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Scanners (1981)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 11/04, 10/07, 7/15

Scanners
10/07: Scanners is the kind of film that John Carpenter could've directed, but no...it's David Cronenberg who did, making a big splash during the early 80's through his sci-fi horror films.

The intelligence behind the story keeps me gripped, offering plenty of twists and turns for entertainment. If I thought Videodrome was too much and abstract, Sanners is just right: simple and clear. Obviously, the head-exploding scene is a work of art but should be overlooked to give the rest of the film the praise it derserves.

Michael Ironside gives the best performance of the show as Darryl Revok. He has a nice Harry Lime moment and can be chilling at times. On the other hand, Cameron Vale received a lot of undeserved criticism for his acting, but he's excellent by playing a character who isn't as attuned as the audience would like him to be.

All in all, Scanners is a must-see sci-fi neo noir classic that's in the spirit of Blade Runner.

7/15: Having seen a lot of David Cronenberg's films, I consider Scanners to be among his top two or three.

What I appreciate the most about it is the simple, straightforward story. When it's explained, the motives of the characters are readily identified. That's why the final showdown between Cameron Vale and Darryl Revok feels intense. However, the ending leaves me puzzled: did Darryl survive the scanner-esque battle or did Cameron become Darryl? If it's the latter because he said, "We've won," then it doesn't make sense.

Something else that's brilliant is the use of facial expressions to convey the feeling of what's going on. As a result, the performances have been convincing. Many viewers complained about Stephen Lack's acting, but they're dead wrong. He's spot-on in terms of what he's supposed to be feeling which is the detachment from reality while not understanding who he is. For the role of his career, Michael Ironside is unforgettable as Darryl Revok. He has a Harry Lime moment when he's near the apartment that's occupied by good guys.

Of course, Scanners has an impossible-to-miss pièce de résistance which occurs almost at the beginning and is undoubtedly impressive, but I wish the people would look past it and begin to appreciate the film for its thought-provoking storytelling.

All in all, to understand David Cronenberg is to begin with Scanners and follow it up with The Brood, Videodrome, The Dead Zone, The Fly, and Existenz, and therefore, you'll discover that his films are intelligent.